List of political parties in Yemen

Before the Yemeni Revolution in 2011 and the following civil war, Yemen was a one party dominant state in which the General People's Congress (GPC) held power.

Legal status

Yemen's Political Parties Law mandates that political parties be viable national organizations comprising at least 75 founders and 2,500 members and not restrict membership to a particular region.^[1] The government provides financial support to political parties, including a stipend for newspaper publication.^[1]

Elections 2003–2006

The GPC captured 238 of 301 seats in parliament in the 2003 elections.^[1] In the September 2006 elections for local and governorate councils, the GPC garnered 315 seats in the governorates (74 percent of the popular vote) and 5,078 local council seats (74 percent of the popular vote).^[1] In the September 2006 presidential election, the Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) backed opposition candidate Faisal bin Shamlan, whose success in garnering 22 percent of the popular vote was viewed at the time as a first step in challenging the political stronghold of President Saleh and the GPC.^[1] However, disputes between the GPC and the JMP in 2007 over election law amendments, coupled with the JMP’s opposition to President Saleh’s proposed democratic reform measures, have halted initial attempts to forge a dialogue between the two parties.^[1]

List of parties

For the sake of clarity, this section is divided into three lists. These are major parties, minor parties and defunct parties. Major parties are defined as parties which gained a seat in the last elections in 2003. Since there has been a long time without elections with a lot of political shift in between, parties that either control territory with their armed wing (such as Ansar Allah) or have over 10.000 likes on facebook are also taken into this category. All other operating parties are listed under minor parties. Parties that are long inactive are listed as defunct, although some might be revived at some point.

Major parties

Party		Acronym	Leader	Political position & ideologies
	General People's Congress المؤتمر الشعبي العام al-Muʾtamar aš-Šaʿbī al-ʿĀmm	GPC	Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi (pro-Hadi faction) Sadeq Amin Abu Rass (pro-Houthi faction) Ahmed Saleh (pro-Saleh faction)	Centre Arab nationalism Yemeni nationalism Pan-Arabism Big tent
	Yemeni Congregation for Reform التجمع اليمني للإصلاح at-Tajammu’u al-Yamanī lil-Iṣlāḥ	Al-Islah	Mohammed al-Yadumi	Anti-Zionism Sunni Islamism Salafism Tribalism
	Yemeni Socialist Party الحزب الاشتراكي اليمني al-Hizb al-Ishtiraki al-Yamani	YSP	Abdulraham Al-Saqqaf	Islamic socialism Arab nationalism Social democracy
	Nasserist Unionist People's Organisation التنظيم الوحدوي الشعبي الناصري at-Tanẓīm al-Waḥdawī al-Shaʿbī al-Nāṣirī	NUPO	Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi	Yemeni unionism Nasserism Anti-Houthi
	Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي Ḥizb al-Ba‘th al-‘Arabī al-Ishtirākī	ASBP	Qassam Salam (pro-Houthi)	Ba'athism Arab socialism
	Ansar Allah أَنْصَار ٱللَّٰه ʾAnṣār Allāh	Houthis	Abdul-Malik al-Houthi	Anti-Zionism Autocrat Irredentism Shia Islamism
	Yemeni Rashad Union اتحاد الرشاد اليمني Ittihād ar-Rashād al-Yamanī[2]	-	Ahmad Muhammad Nasir Muhammad Musa al-Amri	Salafism Islamic democracy Yemeni unity
	National Solidarity Party حزب التضامن الوطني Ḥizb al-Taḍāmun al-Watanī[3]	Tadhamon	-	Centrism
	Southern National Coalition الائتلاف الوطني الجنوبي al-I'tilāf al-Watanī al-Janūbī[4]	SNC	Ahmad Salih al-Issa	South Yemeni separatism
	Al-Ahrar Organization تنظيم الاحرار Tanẓīm al-Aḥrār[5]	-	Abduh Bashar	Center-left Anti-corruption pro-Houthi
	Yemen Renaissance Movement تيار نهضة اليمن Tayyār Nahḍah al-Yaman[6]	YRM	-	Anti-Zionism Big tent Yemeni unity Economic liberalism
	Union of Popular Forces اتحاد القوي الشعبية Ittiḥād al-Quwa ash-Sha'abiyah[7]	-	-	Arab nationalism Islamic Democracy[8]

Minor parties

Party		Acronym	Leader	Political position & ideologies
	Yemeni Republican Federal Party الحزب الجمهوري الاتحادي اليمني al-Ḥizb al-Jumhūrī al-Ittihādī al-Yamanī[9]	YRFP	Sharifah al-Muqatari	Republicanism Yemeni unity Abolishment of militias Pan-Arabism
	New Yemen Party حزب اليمن الجديد Ḥizb al-Yaman al-Jadīd[10]	-	-	Centrism[11] anti-Houthi
	Free Yemen Party حزب اليمن الحر Ḥizb al-Yaman al-Ḥurr[12]	FYP	Nasir bin Yahya al-Arjali	Pro-Houthi
	National Accord Party حزب الوفاق الوطني Ḥizb al-Wafaq al-Watani[13]	-	-	Big Tent[14] Pro-Houthi
	Nasserist Reform Organisation تنظيم التصحيح الشعبي الناصري Tanzim at-Tashikh ash-Shabi an-Nasiri	NRO	- Mujahed al-Quhali	Nasserism Arab nationalism Arab socialism
	Liberal Party of Yemen الحزب الليبرالي اليمني al-Ḥizb al-Lībrālī al-Yamanī [15]	-	-	Liberalism
	Peace and Development Party حزب السلم والتنمية Ḥizb as-Salam wal-Tanmiyah[16]	SLM	Murad al-Qudsi	Islamic Democracy
	Social Nationalist Party - Yemen الحزب القومي الاجتماعي - اليمن al-Ḥizb al-Qawamī al-Ijtimā'ī - al-Yaman[17]	SNPY	Abdul Aziz al-Bakir	Anti-Zionism Pro-Houthi Syncretic politics Yemeni nationalism
	Southern Arabian League Party حزب رابطة الجنوب العربي Ḥizb Rabitah al-Janub al-'Arabi[18]	-	Muhammad 'Ajrumuh al-Awlaqi	Southern Separatism Conservatism
	Yemeni Labour Party حزب العمل اليمن Ḥizb al-'Amal al-Yamani[19]	-	Mukhtar al-Qushaybi	Center-left Social Democracy
	National Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي القومي Ḥizb al-Ba‘th al-‘Arabī al-Ishtirākī al-Qawmi	NASB	Ahmad Shutri Qasem Salam (pro-Houthi)	Ba'athism Arab socialism
	Yemenyoon Current تيار يمنيون Tayyār Yamaniyūn[20]	Yemenyoon	-	Big tent Yemeni unity
	National Democratic Front Party حزب الجبهة الوطنية الديمقراطية Ḥizb al-Jabhat al-Wataniyah ad-Dīmuqrātiyah[21]	NDFP	Nasir an-Nasiri (pro-Houthi)	Center-left Arab nationalism
	Justice and Development Youth Party حزب شباب العدالة والتنمية Ḥizb ash-Shabab al-'Adālah wat-Tanmiyah[22]	-	Bakil al-Humayni	pro-Houthi
	an-Nahdhah Movement for Peaceful Change حركة النهضة للتغيير السلمي Ḥarakat an-Nahḍah li-t-Taghayīr as-Salamī[23]	an-Nahdhah	Ali al-Ahmadi	Social Conservatism Islamic democracy
	Justice and Building Party حزب العدالة والبناء Ḥizb al-'Adālah wal-Bināʾ[24]	JBP	-	Islamic democracy
	Arab Hope Party حزب الأمل العربي Ḥizb al-Amal al-'Arabī [25]	-	Layla ath-Thawr	Center-left Civic nationalism
	Social Labour Party (Wazef) حزب العمل الاجتماعي الوزف Ḥizb al-'Amal al-Ijtimā'ī al-Wazif[26]	Wazef	-	Center-left to left-wing
	National Progress Party حزب التقدم الوطني Ḥizb at-Taqadum al-Watani [27]	-	-	Centrism[28]
	Yemeni Workers' Party حزب العمال اليمني Ḥizb al-'Ummāl al-Yamanī[29]	-	-	Left-wing
	Yemeni Dignity Party حزب الكرامة اليمني Ḥizb al-Karamah al-Yamanī[30]	-	Ahmad Abdurrahman al-'Ammari	Patriotism Centrism[31] Militarism pro-Houthi
	Liberation Front Party حزب جبهة التحرير Ḥizb Jabhat at-Tahrīr	-	-	Arab nationalism
	People's Democratic Party حزب الشعب الديمقراطي Hizb ash-Sha'ab ad-Dimuqrati[32]	Hashd	-	Center-left Arab nationalism pro-Houthi
	Yemeni Social Peace Party حزب السلام الاجتماعي اليمني Ḥizb al-Salām al-Ijtimā'ī al-Yamanī[33]	-	-	Center-left
	Party of the Democratic Union of Popular Forces حزب الاتحاد الديمقراطي للقوى الشعبيه Hizb al-Ittihad ad-Dimuqrati lil-Quwa ash-Sha'abiyah[34]	-	-	Arab nationalism pro-Houthi
	Democratic Nasserist Party الحزب الناصري الديمقراطي al-Ḥizb al-Nasiri al-Dimuqrati	DNP	-Yassin Abdu Saeed	Center-left Nasserism Arab nationalism
	Hizb ut-Tahrir حزب التحرير Ḥizb at-Taḥrīr	HT	Ata Abu Rashta	Islamism Caliphalism
	Party of Truth حزب الحق Ḥizb al-Haqq	HP	-	Zaydi Islamism[35]
	Party of the League of the Sons of Yemen حزب رابطة أبناء اليمن Hizb Rabitah Abna' al-Yaman[36]	Rai	-	Conservatism Islamic Democracy
	Unionist Popular Liberation Party حزب التحرير الشعبي الوحدوي[37]	UPLP	-	Center-left Arab nationalism
	Yemeni Unionist Congregation التجمع الوحدوي اليمني at-Tajammu' al-Wahdawī al-Yamanī	-	-	Center-left Arab nationalism[38]

Defunct parties

Party		Acronym	Leader	Political position & ideologies
	Democratic Unionist Party الحزب الوحدوي الديمقراطي Ḥizb al-Wahdawi ad-Dimuqrati	-	-	Center-left Arab nationalism
	Democratic Septembrist Organization التنظيم السبتمبري الديمقراطي at-Tanẓīm as-Sabtambarī ad-Dīmuqrātī	-	-	Center-left Arab nationalism
	People's Vanguard Party (South Yemen) حزب الطليعة الشعبية Ḥizb at-Tali'ah ash-Sha'abiyah	-	Abdallah Badhib	Ba'athism
	Popular Democratic Union الاتحاد الشعبي الديمقراطي Ittihad ash-Sha'abi ad-Dīmuqrātī	-	-	Center-left Arab nationalism
	Revolutionary Democratic Party of Yemen الاتحاد الشعبي الديمقراطي اليمن Ḥizb ad-Dīmuqrātī ath-Thawrī al-Yaman	-	Sultan Omar	Marxism-Leninism Arab nationalism
	Yemen Green Party حزب الخضر الاجتماعي Ḥizb al-Khadhr al-Ijtimā'ī	-	-	Green politics
	Yemeni League Party حزب الرابطة اليمنية Ḥizb ar-Rabitah al-Yamaniyah	-	-	Center
	Yemeni Popular Unity Party حزب الوحدة الشعبية اليمنية Ḥizb al-Wahdah ash-Sha'abiyah al-Yamaniyah	YPUP	-	Center-left Arab nationalism
	Yemeni Progressive Organization التنظيم التقدمي اليمني at-Tanzim at-Taqadumi al-Yamani	-	-	Center-left

List of coalitions

• The National Council for the Forces of the Peaceful Revolution was declared on 17 August 2011, amidst the Yemeni Revolution, to unite the opposition groups, parties, coalitions, and youth protesters. Among the 143 representatives elected to sit on it are leaders from Al-Islah, the South Yemen Movement, the Alliance of Yemeni Tribes, and the defected First Armoured Division.^[39][40]
  • The Joint Meeting Parties (JMP) was formed in 2005 by five opposition parties to effect political and economic reform.^[1] It includes the northern-based, tribal, and Islamist-oriented Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah) and the secular Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), which represents the remnants of the former South Yemeni leadership.^[1] According to Al Jazeera English, it was formed in 2002 and includes Islah, Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), Hizb Al-Haq (a semi-religious party), the Unionist party, and the Popular Forces Union party.^[41] The spokesperson as of 23 March 2011 is Muhammad Qahtan, who replaced Mohammed Al-Sabri.^[42]
  • The Common Forum includes the five biggest opposition groups in Yemen, including Reform, Socialist, Nasserist, Popular Force and al-Haq.^[43][44] (Likely just another name for the JMP.)

See also

• 2011–2012 Yemeni revolution

References

1. Country profile: Yemen. Library of Congress Federal Research Division (August 2008). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
2. "Rashad Union's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
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6. "YRM's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
7. "Popular Forces's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
8. "Party's program and history". Sawt Shoura Online. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
9. "New Yemen Party's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
10. "New Yemen Party's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
11. Staff member. "Tomorrow, the national political party "New Yemen" will be founded (in Arabic)". Radfan Press. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
12. "FYP's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
13. "National Accord Party's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
14. Wasil, Abdurrahman (4 April 2013). "Sana'a: The National Accord Party was announced (in Arabic)". Retrieved 15 September 2022.
15. "Liberal Party's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
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17. "SNPY's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
18. "Southern Arabian League Party's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
19. "Labour Party's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
20. "Yemenyoon's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
21. "NDFP's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
22. "Justice and Development Youth Party's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
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25. "Arab Hope Party's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
26. "Wazef's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
27. "National Progress Party's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
28. Staff member (4 April 2017). "The National Progress Party is being announced on thursday in San'a". al-Wahda News. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
29. "Workers' Party's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
30. "Dignity Party's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
31. Staff member. "حزب الكرامة اليمني يعقد مؤتمره التأسيسي، وينتخب الحجري أميناً عاماً للحزب". Huna Aden. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved 21 August 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
32. "Hashd's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
33. "Social Peace Party's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
34. "PDUPF's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
35. Quinn Mecham & Julie Chernov Hwang (2014) Islamist Parties and Political Normalization in the Muslim World, University of Pennsylvania Press, p140
36. "Rai's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
37. "UPLP's page on facebook". facebook. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
38. "حزب التجمع اليمني يعلن تأييده لانتفاضة المواطنين ضد ارتفاع الأسعار". Mashhad al-Yemeni. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
39. "Yemen's National Council". Notes by Noon. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
40. "Yemen opposition forms council to lead transition". Khaleej Times. 17 August 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
41. Who's who in Yemen's opposition? Archived March 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Al Jazeera English, 28 February 2011
42. Yemen passes emergency laws to quell protests, The Guardian, 23 March 2011
43. Yemen activists breaking new ground, BBC News, 2 February 2011
44. Yemeni police struggle to break up clashing protesters, Al Arabiya News Channel, 14 February 2011